I like the way that the djinns are portrayed and they seem similar to genies in this book. The beginning of the book really captures your attention and has you reading on to get answers to questions and figure out more. The journey that Taj goes through in finding his sister Leela ends up surprising him and having him consider love and a relationship with another djinn after he has been closed off for so long.

Thank you @NetGalley and City Owl Press for the ARC of The Bleeding Heart.

I was really anticipating not liking this book, but I was blown away. Great writing, interesting plot full of emotion and pain. I honestly think if the cover was different, many more people would read this book. The cover made me anticipate a cheap/cheesy plot, but like I said previously, this book was the most pleasant surprise! I read this as a standalone (and it read well as a standalone) but plan to go back and read the first book.

Trigger warnings: painful situations, heavy/dark plot points, enslavement

Kudos to the author!

The Bleeding Heart is the story of Djinn Taj and his search for his missing sister, Leela – a search which leads him to a Djinn serial killer, magicians who will stop at nothing to enslave all Djinn kind, and a lesson in the power of love.

Taj isn’t as jaded as his sarcasm and attitude want you to believe – he has soft spots for his Djinn sister, her magician boyfriend, her boyfriend’s powerful magician little sister, cute boys with tender hearts, his fellow Djinn, and even some of his captors.

As laissez-faire as Taj tries to act, he’s a bleeding heart through and through.

The storytelling and flow of this book is fantastic, like “I stayed up until 5:30 in the morning finishing it because I couldn’t stop turning pages” fantastic. The worldbuilding is well-paced and organic and the action picks up and never lets you down. There’s action, there’s twists, there’s romance, and there’s love – real, true, love – both familial and romantic.

And Love is the real hero in this story.

The Bleeding Heart is the second book in The Djinn series, but reads perfectly fine on its own. The first book in the series (The Binding Stone, currently on sale for $0.99, fyi) is actually Leela’s story and introduces some of the characters seen in this book, as well as a little bit of missing backstory, but nothing that can’t be inferred with context clues. But even though you don’t need to read the first book to understand this one, I absolutely plan to. I also plan to look for the next book in the series. I’m hooked.

Interesting read by lizzy gayle, this was my introduction to the series and did not realize it was a series. It totally can be read by itself( that's a plus).
Action, romance and darkness, some of my favorite things in books. A little heavy on the darkness and pain though, little bit hard to get though but once through it was enjoyable.

The Bleeding Heart (The Djinn, Book 2) by Lizzy Gayle
Publisher: City Owl Press
Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Romance, Sci Fi & Fantasy
Published January 25, 2022

The Bleeding Heart is the second book in The Djinn series by Lizzy Gayle. This book can easily be read as a standalone book if you have not read the first one!

This book tells the story of Taj, a Djinn, giving us a glimpse into his past, as well as who he is today.

I found this book to be captivating. Between the flashbacks and the current day suspense, I did not want to put the book down! The characters are well written with depth and heart. The storyline was intense. I could not get enough of this book!

I look forward to reading Mira's story next! I hope the sneak peak we got in the epilogue means the next book will be released soon!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.